238          Phosphorus in Milk, II

Composition of the salt mixture

Sodium chloride . . .

4.40 parts.

Magnesium sulphate . . .

5.45 „

Potassium chloride . . .

7.80 „

Ferric citrate . . .

1.18 parts.

Vitamins A, D and B complex were supplied twice
a week to the rats.

                                                               TABLE III

        Average growth of rats from age four weeks to seven weeks on different diets

Diet

Sex

No. of rats

giving

average

Average

initial

body

weight

gm.

Average

final (net)

body

weight

gm.

Average

net gain

in weight

gm.

Average

total food

intake

Average

gam per

gm. food

gm.

Buffalo milk diet . .

Female . .

5

35.5±1.5*

65 ±2*

30±2*

105±4*

.286

Goat milk diet . .

Female . .

5

40±2*

69±2.5*

30±1*

105±5*

.286

Cow milk diet . .

Female . .

5

37.5±2*

66±l.5*

30±1.5*

105±4*

.286

                                                *Average deviation of the mean.

                                                                TABLE IV

P content of seven-week old rats fed on diets containing the same amount of phosphorus from milks of
                                                            different animals

Diet

Sex

No. of rats

giving

average

Average

net body

weight

gm.

Average P

intake

gm.

Average total

body phospho-

rus

gm.

Average per

cent body

phosphorus

Buffalo milk diet. .

Female . .

5

65±2*

0.190±.006*

.329±.009*

.506 ±.005*

Goat milk diet . .

Female . .

5

70±2.5*

0.190±.009*

.361±.013*

.517±.004*

Cow milk diet . .

Female . .

5

66±1.5*

0.190±.007*

.372±.029*

.512±.005*

                                            *Average deviation of the mean.

                           TABLE V

Phosphorus content of four-week old rats of different
          litters on the stock laboratory diet

Litter

No.

Sex

Body wt.

(gm.)

Total body

P.

Per cent

body phos-

phorus.

1 .

Female.

37

.185

.500

2 .

„

37

.187

.505

3 .

„

37

.185

.500

4 .

„

37

.188

.508

                            TABLE VI

The factors of utilization of phosphorus in milks of
                        different animals

Diet 1

No. of rats giving

average

Average utilization

factor in per cent

for P.

Buffalo milk diet . .

5

81.7

Goat milk diet . .

5

83.7

Cow milk diet . .

5

82.1

                      DISCUSSION

Tables III and VI show that the average growth
of rats on different milk diets containing the same

percentage of P and proteins as well as the same
Ca: P ratio was the same and the same is true
for the utilization factor of phosphorus of the
different milks. Guha and Das [1936] claim that
different milks produce different growths in the
body weight of rats. But in their experiments
the percentage of proteins and calcium as well
as the Ca : P ratio and probably also the vitamins
contents in the different diets were not the same.
The aim of this investigation is to study the
quality of phosphorus of the milks of cow, goat
and buffalo so far as its availability is concerned.
This is found to be the same and is to be expected
from the results of phosphorus distribution in
these milks reported in the previous paper (Basu
and Mukherjee, 1943). Of the three varieties of
milk—cow, goat and buffalo—a smaller intake
of buffalo milk which contains about 25 per cent
more phosphorus than the other two milks would
produce the same result so far as the phosphorus
metabolism is concerned.

                      SUMMARY

In these experiments healthy young albino
rats four weeks of age reared on the stock diet of